Chris Barlow
October 25, 2017 10:43
Very untrustworthy business practices that do NOT put the customer first. They need to make changes as soon as possible.
Let me explain: we went online to enroll our child (usually they have you commit to a 3 month class), and we were able to set up the monthly payment online as well. In the third month, we spoke to the instructors to confirm the last class date, and assumed that would be it. We received NO instruction from them that unless we canceled, we would continued to be billed for classes as IF we continued to re-enroll. We were not told by anyone at anytime that although they specify your class is "3 months long" and emphasize committing for that time period, their business practices are set up in such a way as to (seemingly) trick their customers, because the billing keeps happening even if your class is finished!
Here's where it goes way overboard. Once we found out about the extra charge, we contacted them via email to ask them to refund us and to cancel future payments. We were told the only way to cancel future transactions was to come IN PERSON to get a *special* form to fill out by hand to cancel.
So wait, this is 2017, and we CAN enroll and set up for automatic payment through the APEX website, but we CANNOT cancel by emailing, calling, or through the website? I want to give the benefit of the doubt here, but all I can see are signs of a business practice designed to make cancellation obtuse, and extra payments a likelihood. This is not the way to make customers first in your business.
One last example of APEX not putting their customers first. When we signed up for the class, we were told up front what time we would get for open gym. About 1 week after we signed up, they changed the open gym time. Wait - they asked US to commit to a 3 month class, but they don't have to commit to the time they promised to us as part of the class package? To be fair to them, they offered two other times to us: Sunday mornings, and a weekday at 8pm. If our child was a teenager, 8pm on a weekday might be fine. But our child is under 10... 8pm is bedtime. The point is, if you ask customers to commit to a time, then you have to commit to that time as well. And if unforeseeable business circumstances make it impossible to keep your commitment, then you have to go out of your way to make it up to your customer. We offered 3 options to APEX as alternatives that would have satisfied us, but they just essentially said they would think about it, then blew us off.
APEX has good instructors, great equipment, and a fun concept. But their business policies and employee training do NOT put customers first.